


Ten Little Duelists

by Shadowclanwarrior



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Ten Little Indians Homage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 18:26:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6481870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowclanwarrior/pseuds/Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What started as private tournament on an isolated island, ten duel monsters duelists are thrown into a realm of horrors as someone kills them off one by one for murders they have gotten away with in their pasts. With a race against time, the survivors must find their predator while also keeping themselves alive as betrayal, murder, and madness lurks behind every corner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Tournament

_April 18th, 2014_

_Domino City Pier, Japan_

_6:30 P.M._

On a warm spring evening, two teenage boys stood at the edge of the Domino City Pier as they waited for their ship to come. They were twins, looking very similar with their large tricolored hair of red, black, and blonde with large, deep, purple eyes and similar punkish clothes. However, there were some distinct differences, one twin being tall and incredibly handsome while the other was shorter and had a more innocent look to his face. The small twin looked up at his brother.

"When is the ship suppose to come, Atem?" he asked. "The invitation said to be here by six twenty...but I don't see any signs of the ship."

Atem shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Yugi. You know as much about this as I do."

He took out a piece of paper he had folded in his pocket.

"All it says that we, along with eight other people, were invited to come to this private week-long duel monsters tournament on a private island owned by U. N. Owen, who has constructed this tournament in the name of the card game's creator, Maximillion Pegasus. We, along with the other competitors are supposed to meet up here at six twenty to get on the boat to the island."

Atem looked around the area.

"Though I have to admit, it's strange that we were the only ones who got here on time."

Yugi nodded, sitting down at the edge of the pier.

"Yeah, and it's strange that it will only have ten competitors total, including us."

He paused.

"...I wonder why Mr. Owen is having this private tournament. And why on _his_ isolated island..."

Noticing that Yugi seemed nervous, Atem put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"It will be alright. After all, I need the extra practice after our last tournament with Kaiba almost beating me last time. Trust me, it will be good for us to go."

A dark look appeared in Yugi's eyes for a second as he stared off to the distance.

"Yeah... Kaiba really has been at your throat a lot lately. I wonder if he was invited to this tournament like we were."

"And right you are, Mutou."

Both Yugi and Atem quickly turned around to see a tall teenager with a long silver coat and dark brown hair approaching them. His blue eyes met theirs, an obsessive determination within them.

"I was expecting you two to be here, Mutou brothers," Kaiba said as he sat his suitcase on the ground. "It wouldn't be a private tournament without you two. Especially you, Atem."

Atem narrowed his eyes.

"Good to see you too, Kaiba," he replied with a hint of sarcasm. "I hope you have a better sense of sportsmanship since our last tournament. After all, you almost lost it after that last turn."

Kaiba sneered.

"That's because you cheated, Atem! I would have been victorious if you didn't draw Magician of Black Chaos when you did!"

"And how is it cheating by getting a card by lucky chance?"

There was a long, tensed silence as Kaiba tried to come up with some sort of reply.

Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle came roaring down the pier, as one was heading straight at them. Coming to a park, the motorcyclist took off his helmet, his wild brown hair spiking out as his gray eyes glowed in the moonlight.

"Well, looks like I made it just in time," he said in an Australian accent. "I was thinking I was going to miss the boat, but looks like I'm wrong."

He got off the motorcycle and smiled.

"...You guys are waiting for that Owen guy's boat, right?"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes.

"Of course. Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!"

The Australian blinked, his eyes shifting between Kaiba, Atem, and Yugi.

"Uh...other duelists? I mean that is kind of obvious if you are going to that private tournament..."

He smiled.

"Anyways, name's Valon. Australian duelist trying to make his mark in Japan. You?"

Atem walked up to Valon.

"I'm Atem Mutou, King of Games. This is my twin brother Yugi and my archrival, Seto Kaiba. Pleased to meet you."

He shook his hand.

"Glad to meet you too, mate," Valon replied. "Suppose you can tell me how this whole thing operates as this will be my first Japanese tournament."

"Well, technically it isn't fully a Japanese tournament," Yugi corrected him. "Mr. Owen is an American."

"Ah...I see."

Valon stretched his arms.

"Doesn't matter. I will still make it to the top anyways."

Atem gave a competitive smirk. "I look forward to seeing your skills."

"Uh...excuse me!"

Everyone turned to see a dark-skinned teenage girl with ravishing green eyes running towards them, carrying a large backpack on her shoulders. She stopped before them, panting heavily as her dark hair fell in her face.

"...Sorry to interrupt you, but I'm afraid I may be late for my boat," the girl said with heavy breaths of air.

She looked up, her eyes widening once she saw Atem, Yugi, and Kaiba. She gasped.

"Oh! I guess I'm in the right place..."

Valon raised an eyebrow.

"Are you here for the private duel monsters tournament?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep! My name is Mana. I'm a newer duelist who's only been in a few tournaments."

A large smile came across her face.

"When I got my invitation, I was _so_ excited! But I got lost on the way here...so I was afraid that I might have been too late..."

Atem gave a friendly smile.

"You didn't miss much. Yugi and I have been waiting for over ten minutes now and Kaiba and Valon just now arrived. In reality, you're here just in time."

A small blush came across Mana's face as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Glad to know."

"Indeed it is."

Behind Mana, a boy with long white hair and ghostly pale skin came by.

"The bus I was taking was stuck in heavy traffic, making it a hell to get here," he said. "Glad to see I wasn't the only one having problems with travel."

He sat his backpack down.

"Name's Bakura. Hope you remember it well when I defeat you all in this short tournament."

Kaiba glared at him.

"'Bakura?' As in Bakura the King of Thieves? The duelist who is supposedly a skilled thief?"

Bakura made eye contact.

"Perhaps. And was it to you, Second-Rate Seto Kaiba?"

Kaiba clutched his fists.

"Hey...easy now," Mana said, as she stood between the two of them. "We shouldn't get in a fight before we go off to this fancy private island!"

"Yes, because a fight wouldn't be the same without _me_!"

Out of the shadows, a teenager with spiky blonde hair jumped out, landing on all fours. Everyone flinched, his crazy violet eyes glaring up at them.

"Little old Melvin here would be very sad if he was not included in a fight!" he exclaimed. "Especially one that is _really_ violent!"

Both Bakura and Kaiba gave disgusted looks.

"Melvin, would you cut it out."

Another teenager, looking identical to Melvin only with his blonde hair smoothed down, came by. He dropped a large black suitcase on top of his brother's head, in which Melvin cried out slightly in pain. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry about that. My brother has... _issues_ , and there is really little I can do about it."

Melvin growled slightly as he stood up, glaring at his brother.

"I'm Marik Ishtar," the sensible twin continued, trying to recover from that embarrassment. "I look forward to competing against you in this tournament."

"Uh...sure." Valon couldn't help but stare at Melvin. "So long as he stays away from me, I'm good with that."

Melvin gave a twisted smile. "Is that a threat?"

Valon narrowed his eyes.

"It will be if you keep acting like that."

Marik groaned.

"Sorry...I don't know why _he_ was invited, but I guess Owen was desperate for duelists..."

"It would seem, as he is letting you unknown duelists come," Kaiba commented.

"Oh _great_! Of _all_ the people who could show up..."

From where Bakura and Mana came, a blonde haired teenage boy and blonde woman approached the group.

"Kaiba, you just _had_ to be invited!" the guy exclaimed angrily. "My first big tournament, and it had to be one with _you_!"

Kaiba smirked.

"Nice to see you too, mutt."

"It's _Jonouchi_ , you asshole!"

Seeing Atem and Yugi from the corner of his dark brown eyes, Jonouchi's anger quickly vanished as he turned to them.

"Hey, Atem and Yugi! Looking forward to the tournament?"

Atem nodded.

"We are. And you?"

"Who wouldn't!?"

Jonouchi approached them, a fire of determination glowing in his eyes.

"And I plan on coming up on top! Just you wait, my old friends! Jonouchi is about to join your ranks!"

Yugi gave an uneasy smile and small laugh.

"Yeah... We will wish you luck, Jonouchi."

In the background, the blonde haired woman rolled her violet eyes.

"How immature... But I guess anyone would be excited for their first real tournament."

Bakura studied her.

"And who are you? I don't think I've seen you in any tournaments I've been in."

The woman smirked.

"I'm Mai Kujaku, a duelist who only enters the finest of tournaments. Like this one."

"Ah, a girl who only goes for the best?" Valon commented with a smile. "You must have a lot of high standards for a pretty girl like yourself."

Mai narrowed her eyes.

"Watch it."

Valon's smile grew.

"Whatever you say, beautiful."

At that moment, the sound of a ship's horn came in through the pier. All ten of the contestants looked out to see a large luxurious ship coming towards them. It soon docked before them, and a one of the crewmembers came out to greet them.

"Are you all here to be taken to Mr. Owen's island?" he asked.

Everyone nodded. The crewman smiled.

"Glad to see that everyone is here, seeing that there is ten of you. Come on aboard, it will be a long journey to the island."

He started to head up into the ship, the others following carrying their luggage with them. Once everyone was on, the ship left the pier, making its way to the far away island.


	2. Ten Duelists

_April 18th, 2014_

_Docks, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_10:00 P.M._

" _Ah_ , feels good to be back on the land again!"

Valon stretched his arms out as he walked off the ship, taking in a deep breath of air. Mai, Jonouchi, Bakura, and Yugi came off right behind him. Mai rolled her eyes.

"You're making it sound like you haven't been on land for months," she commented.

Valon smirked.

"What can I say? I'm not meant to be at sea."

"I didn't think it was too bad," Jonouchi said. "I mean, I remember when Yugi and Atem had that one cruise tournament that we were on the ship for about two weeks straight!"

Yugi nodded.

"Yeah. In fact it was one of mine and Atem's first tournaments."

"Why would a tournament be on a cruise ship?" Bakura questioned. "In a closed in area, something is bound to go wrong."

"Like someone getting one of their cards stolen?"

Bakura met Jonouchi's narrowed gaze. He gave off a soft laugh.

"Perhaps."

"Oh _wow_!"

Mana ran off the ship, her eyes large with wonder.

"Did you guys see that mansion in the distance?" she asked, her voice growing with excitement. "It's _so_ cool!"

Everyone turned to where Mana was pointing at. Sure enough, in the dark gray distance a large mansion could be seen, its elegant architecture similar to a medieval castle. Around the mansion, and covering almost the entire large island, was a very dense forest, probably packed with many kinds of wild life. At the edge of the docks, there were two cars in parked, each able to fit five people.

"So, are we suppose to wait for someone to come pick us up?" Marik asked as he and the rest of the duelists finally got off. "And what are we suppose to do with all of our luggage?"

"Well, I don't see anyone besides us," Atem commented, his eyes scanning the area. "However, there are those two cars over there."

He turned to face everyone.

"Maybe we are supposed to drive ourselves to the mansion?"

Kaiba growled.

"We better not. My opinion on Mr. Owen is already very low. He would have to have some nerve to invite someone like me and expect-"

"Will you stop making yourself seem so important, rich boy!" Melvin suddenly shouted, his eye twitching. "All your talk just makes me want to kill somebody!"

" _Melvin_!"

Marik quickly pulled his mentally unstable brother away from Kaiba, giving him a hard slap to the face.

"You need to keep together if you want to stay in the tournament," Marik hissed. "It still hasn't been enough time since the... _incident_!"

Melvin glared at his twin.

"...Fine. But I know I'm not the only one thinking the same thing..."

"What are you two talking about?"

Bakura crossed his arms as everyone stared at the Ishtar twins. Marik gave an uneasy smile.

"Let's...just get to the mansion now, shall we? I'm sure you all are as tired as I am..."

He picked up his luggage and made his way to one of the cars, Melvin close behind him. The others watched them go for a moment, as if hesitant to get close to them. But soon they all went, Marik, Melvin, Bakura, Mai, and Valon getting into one car while Atem, Yugi, Jonouchi, Mana, and Kaiba got into the other. They then started the cars and drove on an old dirt path, making the ride very bumpy and unpleasant. After about a fifteen minute drive, they arrived at the mansion. Parking in a nearby open garage, the duelists all got out of the cars and took their luggage all the way to the front door. Being the first one there, Kaiba knocked at the door, however no one answered right away. They all waited a moment, until Kaiba got impatient and knocked again, this time harder. But again, no one answered. Kaiba cursed.

"Owen better have a good reason for delaying our entry!"

Bakura turned the doorknob.

"Strange," he remarked, "it's unlocked..."

He opened the door and everyone quickly went inside. The room was pitch black, only a dim amount of light coming out of the open doorway.

"Someone find a light switch!" Kaiba ordered. "Why are all the lights turned off?"

Feeling around the room, it was Mai who was able to locate the light switch. She quickly turned it on, to reveal that they all stood in an elegant, brightly colored entry hall. A large fleet of stairs stood in the very back of the room, leading to the other floors, where there were three entryways on each wall, all leading deeper into the mansion.

"Let's see if we can look around and find Mr. Owen," Yugi suggested. "Since he didn't answer the door, I doubt he will come to us."

A twisted smile appeared on Melvin's lips.

"It would seem so. I can't wait to see what kind of person he is..."

"Neither can I," Kaiba replied, "as I have a few choice words to poke at him."

"Kaiba, you have choice words to poke at everyone," Atem said.

Kaiba glared at him but said nothing in reply.

Through the three entryways, the duelists split up in hoping to find Mr. Owen. Down the west entryway, Mana, Marik, and Melvin came into a large dining room, the table having exactly ten seats.

"Huh...that's strange," Mana said, stopping right next to the table. "You would think there would be eleven seats, for all of us and Mr. Owen."

Marik blinked, walking over to her side.

"That is a little strange. Perhaps he ran out of chairs or maybe he will eat privately from us?"

Mana raised an eyebrow. "Why would he do that?"

"Who knows. From what I've seen, this guy is as unpredictable as ever."

Marik's eyes scanned the entire table, his violet gaze soon locking on the decoration on the table.

It looked like a silver food tray, around it having ten figurines of ten different duel monsters. The monsters were the Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Dark Necrofear, Harpy Lady, Psychic Armor Head, Revival Jam, the Winged Dragon of Ra, and Kuriboh. Both Mana and Marik approached it.

"How cute!" Mana commented with a smile. "It looks like Mr. Owen was getting into the theme of duel monsters for the tournament."

Marik said nothing in reply, only having an uneasy look in his eyes.

"Marik, Mana!"

They both quickly turned around to see Melvin coming out of the kitchen, carrying with him a large piece of paper.

"You might want to assemble the others," Melvin said, a mixture of emotions flowing through his voice. "It turns out that Mr. Own has something more in mind then just a simple little tournament..."

Marik raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I prefer to just explain it only once," Melvin answered with a large smile. "You will find out soon enough."

Marik sighed.

"From the way you're grinning..."

He turned to Mana.

"Get everyone to meet us here."

Without question, Mana nodded her head and quickly ran out to get the others. In no time, she was able to assemble everyone in the dining room, everyone taking notice to the duel monster tray.

"So, what is this about?" Bakura demanded. "Is it some kind of joke?"

Melvin chuckled.

"Apparently, and it is a very amusing one."

He walked over to Bakura and handed him the note.

"Read it. Out loud, if you don't mind."

Glaring at him for a second, Bakura snatched the note out of Melvin's hand and read it silently to himself. His dark eyes grew wide, his face paling dramatically as he read.

"What...what..."

He shook a bit.

"Are you alright, mate?" Valon asked concerned. "You look like you've seen a ghost just now."

Bakura quickly regained control of himself.

"It...it can't be. But it is..."

"What can't be?" Mai questioned.

"Just read us the note!" Kaiba snapped. "It's almost eleven and I would like to get some sleep before the tournament!"

"...You won't have to worry about the tournament, Kaiba," Bakura said slowly. "Because there is _no_ tournament!"

Everyone gasped.

"W- _what_?!" Atem exclaimed. "You've...you've got to be joking!"

Bakura met his gaze.

"I wish I was."

He began to read the note.

"'Dear my fellow duelists. I welcome you all to my island and hope you are all looking forward to our little tournament. Unfortunately, there will be no tournament, but a trial. Yes, a trial, my dear duelists, for you all have brought shame and evil towards our fellow community for the murders that have been involved with in your pasts.'"

There was a mixture of reactions, some gasps, some paled faces, some wide eyes. But on each of the duelists' faces, there was some look of horror and shock.

"'Instead of dueling for glory, you will be dueling for your lives,'" Bakura continued. "'One by one, you will all be brought to justice and by the end of the week, you will be dead. Prepare for the duel of your life.'"

He tightened his grip on the note.

"'Your host, U. N. Owen.'"

There was a long silence, each of the duelists refusing to look at each other in the eye.

"This...this is nonsense!"

Kaiba unexpectedly snatched the note from Bakura's hands, leaving a small paper cut as Bakura pulled back his hands. Kaiba read the note silently to himself a few times.

"I don't care if this a private tournament or not!" he shouted, anger rising in his voice. "I have had my fill of this madness and I'm getting off the island right now!"

"I'm afraid you can't, Kaiba," Melvin said, a dark glow in his eyes. "The ship left the docks as soon as we all got into our cars, and I don't remember seeing any other boats out there. Besides..."

At that moment, there was a loud clash of lightning. Everyone froze, a thick tension rising in the air.

"...Look," Yugi finally said, "we've all had a long night and standing around worrying about...that will only make things worse. I say we all find ourselves a room and get some rest and figure out something in the morning when we're all rested up."

"Are you mad?!" Bakura exclaimed. "If we sleep in a place where someone intends to kill us all, we'll all be dead by morning!"

"But where will we go?" Jonouchi pointed out. "I don't like it as much as the next guy...but this is the only place we can stay on the island."

Marik nodded.

"Jonouchi has a point. As long as we lock our doors we should be fine, maybe even partner up just to be safe."

For some reason, the idea of partnering up didn't seem like a wanted suggestion. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"I don't believe there is an actual murderer in this house. It's just a mad bluff, there is nothing to worry about."

He made his way towards the doorway.

"Now if you excuse me, I'm going to find a room."

He then stormed off. It did not take long for the others to do the same, as reluctant as many of them were. With a storm thundering outside and the shadows of evil crawling inside, it was going to be a long night.


	3. Nine Duelists

_April 19th, 2014_

_Mansion, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_7:00 A.M._

_Surviving Duelists_

_Atem_

_Yugi_

_Kaiba_

_Valon_

_Mana_

_Bakura_

_Melvin_

_Marik_

_Jonouchi_

_Mai_

Even though it was a very late night, many of the duelists found it hard to get any sleep, or stay asleep for very long. Many of them found themselves up and about in the early, eerie quiet morning, each for the most part keeping to themselves. There was a great sense of mistrust through the air, everyone making sure they kept their distance except for the Mutou, with Jonouchi, and Ishtar brothers. Eventually, the duelists got to the point where they needed to interact with each other, so they all slowly came together in the dining room.

All except Kaiba.

While in the dining room, Mai took it upon herself to see if she could find something to cook a breakfast. While she was in the kitchen, Valon taking the time to help her, the others sat at the table. There was a long silence, for none of them really knew how to start a discussion in a time like this. Finally, Atem spoke up.

"Alright...I know we are a little jumpy after what we read last night," he said, "but we can't just ignore each other forever. We must find a way to get off the island, and we can only do that by working together."

"And how do you expect us to work together?" Bakura questioned. "We are all accused of being involved in a crime of murder. We would have to be fools to trust each other!"

"H-how can we _all_ be accused of murder?" Mana asked, stuttering. "It j-just seems unlikely that we all have, if true..."

"I agree with Mana," Yugi added. "I mean, a lot of us don't even _look_ like killers!"

"Looks don't mean anything," Marik replied. "Any human, within the right circumstances, can become a killer."

His eyes grew dark.

"From a parent to a young child. It can happen to anyone at any given time..."

There was a long silence, in which Mai and Valon brought in trays full of food.

"For an abandon island, there is sure a lot of food supplies," Mai said as she and Valon sat each of the trays down on the table. "There is definitely enough to last us for the week."

"Like we will stay here that long," Bakura muttered under his breath.

Jonouchi let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, I agree with Atem that we need to work together. Alone, we all don't stand a chance against Owen's madness. If anything, I bet that is what he _wants_ us to do."

Everyone turned their gaze towards him. Jonouchi avoided eye contact, his eyes on the table.

"...We need to trust each other, and the way to do that is to confess what we are accused of."

There was a small pause, a few of the other duelists taking this time to fill up their plates.

"...Mr. Owen is correct that I did commit a murder," Jonouchi said softly, "however it was for my own good. You see, my parents are divorced. My sister lives with my neglectful mother and I lived with my father, who was an abusive alcoholic. Living with him was hell. He was unpredictable and would attack me for the littlest of things. At times, I even thought he would try to kill me."

Jonouchi clutched his fists tightly.

"Before I came to live in Domino City with my relatives, my father one night was so drunk that he was at the point he couldn't remember who he was. Or who I was. And when I came home from a friend's house...he thought I was some kind of intruder and came at me with a beer bottle. He beaten me, and the only way I was able to get out alive was to kill him. And so I did, a knife that hit him straight in the heart."

He sat back in his chair, a sad look in his eyes.

"I left as soon as I could, and when I told my aunt and uncle in Domino City what happened, they did their best to hide me from the law. I got away with murder, but it was either that or be dead."

He met everyone's gaze.

"So...am I really that bad to deserve to be killed?"

No one replied.

"...No, for I can relate to that sort of thing."

Everyone moved their gaze towards Marik.

"My father was just as bad, only he was sober," he explained. "Melvin, along with my other siblings, and I had to deal with my father's sadistic nature ever since our mother died. We-"

He cut himself off as his eyes strayed to the end of the table.

"Say...wasn't there _ten_ figurines on that tray last night?"

Everyone glanced over to the duel monsters tray. Sure enough, there was a place where a figurine was broken off. It was missing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and it looked like someone deliberately broke it off.

"...Guys, has anyone seen Kaiba this morning?" Atem asked, his face becoming pale.

There was a long silence.

"...Does anyone know which room he chose?" Valon asked. "I'll go look for him."

"I think he chose the one furthest down the left hall," Yugi answered. "That door was locked, I remember, and he was the first one to choose."

Valon nodded.

"Alright, I'll go look. Anyone care to join me?"

"Yeah, I'll come."

Jonouchi got up from his chair and the two of them left the dining room, where everyone else refused to move.

"Should we...take a knife from the kitchen?" Jonouchi asked as they came to the entrance hall. "You know, just in case."

Valon shook his head.

"I think we will be fine. With everyone as jumpy as they are, it would be a bad idea."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

They quickly went up the stairs, heading for the third floor where the bedrooms were.

"You think you will be safe, now that you admitted your guilt?"

Jonouchi blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Owen brought us all here to make sure we are brought to 'justice' for our 'crimes,'" Valon explained. "So now that you have admitted to it...will he still find it necessary to kill you?"

Jonouchi gave a small smile.

"I hope so. Maybe he was just bluffing about the killing us part. Maybe he just said that so that we would be intimidated enough to confess..."

"Maybe...though he is still mad all the same."

Soon, they arrived at the door that supposedly lead to Kaiba's room. Valon knocked on the door.

"Hey Kaiba, are you there?" he called out. "We need you to come out, if your decent, that is."

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. They waited a few seconds, but Kaiba never answered. Valon knocked again, this time a little harder.

" _Come on_ , Kaiba..."

A minute passed, and still no answered. Valon sighed.

"Well...what do we do now?"

"We need to see if he is in there or not," Jonouchi answered. "I hope he's just a heavy sleeper..."

He gestured Valon to stand back so he could stand in front of the door.

"Hey Kaiba, you jerk," Jonouchi called, "this is kind of important, so we are coming in. Be ready."

He took a few steps back.

"On the count of three, I'm coming in. One."

Valon's eyes widened. "Mate, what are you...?"

"...Two..."

Jonouchi prepared himself.

"...Three!"

He charged at the door, forcing it to open. Valon stared in shock, but quickly got a hold of himself. He went inside.

"Dear God, I hope-"

He cut himself off.

A look of horror flashed upon his face as he and Jonouchi stood in the room, with the strong stench of death flowing past them. There, Kaiba laid in his bed, his eyes closed tight as a large tare was in his throat, dried blood all over the collar of his black shirt. It was clear that he was killed in his sleep, as the cut must have been deep and quick before he had the chance to wake up.

" _Oh_ God..."

Jonouchi quickly fled the bedroom, covering his mouth like he was going to be sick. Valon stood where he was for a long moment, till he finally got the courage to grab Kaiba's silver coat and place it over his body. He silently left the room, closing the door behind him where he reunited with Jonouchi as he came out of a nearby bathroom.

"We need to tell the others," Valon said, his voice grim. "This is no joke, we need to do something and fast."

Jonouchi nodded.

"Y-yeah. They'll need to know."

The two went back to the dining room as fast as they could. When they got back, everyone could tell that something was wrong just by the looks on their faces.

"What happened?" Mana asked, concerned. "You both look terrible..."

"We...we just saw Kaiba in his room," Jonouchi explained. "He...he was dead. _Murdered_!"

Everyone gasped.

"When was he killed?!" Mai demanded. "How... _how_ could he have been killed without any one of us knowing!?"

"It must have happened while we were all sleeping," Melvin explained, his voice surprisingly calm. "We were all tired, separated, and confused. It would have been the perfect moment for any killer to strike."

"So does that mean that we are not alone?" Atem asked. "That Mr. Owen is hiding in the mansion waiting for the right time to kill us all?"

"It would seem that way," Bakura replied, a dark look in his eyes. "After all, who else could have killed Kaiba?"

"Then what do we do?" Jonouchi asked, his voice shaky. "He could be anywhere, in the mansion or on the island!"

"Then we will just have to hunt him down," Valon suggested. "If we can claim a safe zone, then protecting ourselves from Owen would be made easier."

Bakura nodded.

"I agree, and that safe zone should be the mansion."

"And just how do you plan on finding Mr. Owen then?" Marik questioned. "It's his house, his island. There are bound to be many secrets and traps."

"Searching wouldn't be a bad place to start," Bakura answered. "Let's all search the house together, and after that, we'll think about the outside."

"But this house is _huge_!" Mana cried. "He could be anywhere! Maybe even listening to our conversation right now as we speak."

"We'll split up," Mai explained. "There are nine of us, so I suggest three pairs, one group of three. And there are three floors, plus a basement I think... It should be enough to cover a lot of ground at once. Mr. Owen won't have any place to run."

"Then that settles it."

Atem stood from his seat.

"Let's partner up and search the entire house. Within the hour, let's all meet up back here and discuss what we found. And if we find Mr. Owen... we'll just shout for the rest of us to come."

A determine look burned within his gaze.

"No matter what, we won't let Owen kill us off!"


	4. Eight Duelists

_April 19th, 2014_

_Mansion, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_10:45 A.M._

_Surviving Duelists_

_Atem_

_Yugi_

_Valon_

_Mana_

_Bakura_

_Melvin_

_Marik_

_Jonouchi_

_Mai_

It did not take long for the duelists to search the entire mansion. They wasted no time searching every little room and corner, for fear and paranoia filled each of their minds. They jumped at every little shadow and unknown noise, their eyes wildly scanning the area like trapped, frightened animals. Owen was somewhere, they knew, and one little mistake could mean their deaths.

Just like Kaiba.

Finally, they all met back in the entrance hall, a small look of relief on their faces, as no one could find any trace of Owen.

"Well...looks like Mr. Owen isn't in the mansion," Mana said, trying to seem positive. "This mean it's safe now, right?"

"For now, at least," Bakura replied, his eyes growing dark. "But I also bet that Owen is staying in the shadows more since we now know what his true intentions are. If anything, he is planning on which of us is going to be his next target."

Mana's face paled.

"Hey, don't say that," Jonouchi said. "Do you want him to get the satisfaction of knowing that he has the advantage?"

He turned to Mana.

"For now, we have claim to the mansion. As long we have searches periodically, we can keep Owen at bay."

"You seem so confident," Marik commented.

Jonouchi smiled.

"From living with my dad, keeping a positive view is the only way to survive. We've got to fight, we can't let this maniac put us down."

Melvin chuckled softly.

"Your over confidence will be your downfall. From what I've seen, this Mr. Owen will be more than capable to find a way to kill you off."

Jonouchi glared at him.

"What are you saying? That we should not find a way to fight back?!"

"I never said that," Melvin replied, a twisted grin on his face. "I've just seen this work before, that's all."

"Oh really?" Valon said, raising an eyebrow. "That makes the situation _so_ much better!"

"Why not?" Melvin questioned. "We are all accused of murder. Is it really _that_ surprising?"

"Actually, it _is_!"

Jonouchi stepped up to Melvin, his fists clutched tightly.

"I might not know the reason why you were put on this island," he snapped, "but this isn't some sort of game! Our lives are at stake, and I want to make sure we all make it out!"

Melvin narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms.

"What a fool you are. I bet Owen has something _special_ planed for you and your spirits..."

Jonouchi's eyes flared with rage. In a split second, he punched Melvin straight in the jaw, causing him to fall onto the floor. Everyone gasped, frozen in shock. Jonouchi breathed heavily, his eyes never leaving Melvin.

"He he... Quite a punch," Melvin said, rubbing his jaw as a little blood dripped from his mouth. "You really know how to fight."

He stood back up, a violent look forming in his eyes.

"It's been awhile since I've felt _good_ pain like _that_! Ha _ha_!"

He was about to launch himself at Jonouchi, but Marik and Valon quickly held him back.

" _Melvin_!" Marik cried.

He and Valon pulled him back, Marik then taking Melvin and pinning him against the wall in an effort to calm him down. Everyone else turned to Jonouchi.

"What were you thinking punching the unstable guy like that!?" Mai demanded. "Do you want _two_ people to try to kill you!?"

"Mai's right, Jonouchi," Atem said. "That was uncalled for."

Jonouchi took heavy breaths of air.

"...I'm sorry guys. I lost my cool. I..."

He sighed.

"...I need some air. I'll be outside if anyone needs me."

He started to make his way to the door.

"Uh...Jonouchi," Yugi said, sounding concern. "Do you want one of us to come with you?"

Jonouchi turned back and gave a small smile.

"I'll just be out on the front lawn. It will be good to have one guard outside in case Owen dares to show himself. I will make sure he does not step inside this house."

And before anyone else could say anything, he quickly went out, closing the door behind him.

* * *

For the next few hours, Jonouchi paced around the outside of the mansion, deep within his own thoughts. His breathing was fast, his movements were quick. His eyes darted in all directions, watching for any sign of movement. Melvin's words repeated in his mind, the sight of Kaiba's body reappearing in his vision.

"...Jonouchi..."

Jonouchi flinched as he quickly turned to see Yugi. Yugi gave him a concerned look.

"You've been out here a long time," he noted. "Don't you think it is time you went inside?"

Jonouchi gave a gentle smile.

"I'm fine. In fact I prefer to be out here, more fresh air."

His dark eyes move towards the mansion.

"How is everyone? Is Melvin..."

Just saying his name made his skin crawl with anger.

"Tensed, but better," Yugi answered. "Knowing that Owen isn't in the house makes it easier to relax. Most of them are taking naps."

"I bet," Jonouchi replied. "And did you take one?"

Yugi shook his head.

"I'm not that tired, and there was too much on my mind to really settle down."

"Don't worry, Yugi. There isn't anything to be afraid of. I won't let that psycho hurt you or anyone else."

Yugi moved his gaze towards the ground, a light eyes turning unusually dark.

"I'm not completely weak, you know. I don't need protection all the time."

Jonouchi blinked.

"...Didn't mean to offend you, Yug."

Yugi sighed.

"I know. I just-"

He stopped in mid sentence.

His eyes suddenly grew wide, his face turning as white as a ghost.

"Yugi, what's wrong?!" Jonouchi asked, his heart skipping a beat.

"I-I saw something in the forest!" Yugi stammered, his finger shakily pointing behind Jonouchi. "A-and I think it was a man!"

Jonouchi quickly turned to the direction Yugi was pointing at. He could faintly see some movement, and whatever it was, it was retreating. And it could be Owen.

"Yugi, go inside the mansion and alert everyone that Owen has shown himself," Jonouchi said. "I'm going after him."

Yugi's eyes widened.

"Jonouchi, don't! It is too dangerous! _Jonouchi_!"

But Jonouchi did not listen to him, for he dashed towards the forest with all his might. He wasn't armed, but it didn't matter. He could handle himself in a fight, and as long as he sees Owen's face, he would be able to tell the others how to defend themselves.

The thick greenery of the forest grew dense the further he went, as he pulled back branches and bushes. He could hear loud footsteps, running away from him. Jonouchi quickened his pace.

"Hey, you _bastard_!" he shouted. "You will pay for what you did to Kaiba! If you want me dead, then face me face to face, you coward!"

No verbal reply came.

Eventually, Jonouchi ran out of oxygen in his lungs, forcing himself to stop the chase to catch his breath. He panted heavily, cursing Owen's name as he did.

"...Damn...it...Owen...you...self-righteous...murderous..."

The only sounds Jonouchi could hear was his own breathing. And it too soon ceased, as Jonouchi felt a blade stab itself into his body.


	5. Seven Duelists

_April 19th, 2014_

_Forest, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_3:00 P.M._

_Surviving Duelists_

_Atem_

_Yugi_

_Valon_

_Mana_

_Bakura_

_Melvin_

_Marik_

_Mai_

"No..."

Tears started to fill Yugi's eyes as his voice got clogged up in his throat. After Jonouchi had run after 'Owen,' he went back to the mansion to alert everyone else. He, Atem, Bakura, and Valon all ran towards the forest, hoping to catch up with Jonouchi, while Mai, Mana, Marik, and Melvin stayed behind to watch the mansion. With the ground still being a bit soggy from the rainfall last night, it was easy to tell where Jonouchi had run off to. But then they came to the end of the tracks, only to find a gruesome discovery.

Laying on the ground was the bloody corpse of Jonouchi, many stab wounds in his body staining his clothes, hair, and skin red. His dead brown eyes stared wide at nothing, and his broken jaw barely hung to his skull. Yugi forced himself to turn away, as Valon, Bakura, and Atem stared horrified at the body.

"I...I have never seen a body so brutally attacked," Bakura said, stunned. "This..."

He was lost for words. Atem clutched his fists.

"How...how could he have _done_ this?! How can any human...?"

"It is because he is mad."

Valon's eyes grew dark.

"He's sadistic, evil, cruel... Just like the kind of people I've dealt with before."

Bakura and Atem turned their attention to him, but Valon does not explain himself.

"...We can't leave Jonouchi lying here like this," he said. "Let's place his body in his room, until we can think of a decent burial for him."

Without another word, he and Bakura delicately picked up Jonouchi's body and carried him back to the mansion. Atem and Yugi went ahead of them, where Marik, Mana, and Mai waited outside.

"Did you guys find Jonouchi?" Mana asked. "Or Owen?"

Atem let out a heavy sigh.

"There was no sign of Owen, but we did find Jonouchi...dead."

Mana and Marik gasped, Mai's eyes widened.

"...Where is he now?" Mai asked hesitantly. "How did he die?"

"From the looks of it, stab wounds," Yugi answered, his voice grim. "Bakura and Valon are going to take his body to his room until we decide what to do with the body."

There was a small silence.

"...Damn," Marik cursed, his eyes tearing up a bit. "I wish I was there to help him. He didn't deserve this, and neither did Kaiba..."

"I...I can't believe it!" Mana sobbed. "I...poor Jonouchi..."

She began to cry. Atem gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go inside while Bakura and Valon come back with Jonouchi's body. We need to discuss our next move."

* * *

"As long as we stay together, we should be fine," Valon was saying as they all gathered in the dining room. "Both Kaiba and Jonouchi were killed because they were alone, and I suspect that Owen will make his next move to whoever is the next person alone and vulnerable."

"But would that truly matter?" Mai questioned. "Owen wants us dead. We are on an isolated island with no outside contact or way off. Alone or not, what's stopping him from killing us all together?"

"Because we are in a group," Valon explained. "It's eight against one, we could easily overpower him if he attacked us all at once."

He smirked.

"And he is less likely to strike at someone as beautiful as you if you stick with someone as strong as me."

Mai rolled her eyes.

"Can we keep it serious here?" Marik suddenly said. "This isn't the time to be flirtatious and failing at it!"

Valon narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Marik sighed.

"However, you do have a point. We can't afford any separation, even within the mansion. We need to have at least a partner with us at all times."

"And maybe have someone keep watch at night," Atem added. "We can choose a few bedrooms and have one of us take watch about every hour."

"That won't last long," Melvin replied, leaning back in his chair in a nonchalant way. "While a good strategy, do you really think we would last that long awake, even with set shifts? We are better off locking our doors and barricading them. Of course, even that can do so little."

Everyone glared at Melvin's direction.

"Could you _be_ anymore insensitive?" Mai snapped. "Two people have been murdered in cold blood in less than twenty-four hours! Our lives, _yours_ , are in danger! Don't you give a damn about _that_?"

Melvin smiled.

"Owen wouldn't dare come after me. If he knows anything about me, I will tear him to shreds."

Both Yugi and Mana flinched in the bloodthirsty tone in his voice. Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You seem so confident..."

He stood up, analyzing the dried up blood around Melvin's mouth.

"...Your jaw seemed to be doing better from when Jonouchi punched you, I see."

Melvin nodded, rubbing it tenderly.

"It hurts, but I can handle a lot of pain."

"So it would seem."

Bakura got into his face, his dark eyes glaring into Melvin's wild ones.

"When we found Jonouchi's body, I noticed that his jaw was broken. Like someone's punch was so hard that it caused it to misplace..."

Melvin grinned.

"What are you trying to say, that I killed him?"

The few who sat quickly got up from their seat. Everyone's eyes were wide, even Marik dared not say anything in his brother's defense. Melvin laughed.

"Is it wise to accuse me, in a situation like this?" he questioned, his voice becoming high-pitched. "Trying to turn us all against each other, eh, Bakura?"

He stood up and pushed Bakura back. Bakura quickly regained his footing, his never leaving Melvin.

"You have a motive to kill Jonouchi, along with be _fucking_ nuts!" he spat. "You've been the calmest since the very beginning! Why _shouldn't_ I suspect you to be working for Owen!?"

Mana, Yugi, and Marik gasped, Mai and Valon quickly backed away while Atem eyes grew wide. There was a long silence, both Melvin and Bakura refusing to back down. After what felt like an eternity to the duelists, Melvin let out a small chuckle.

"And right after we were getting all _so_ close!"

He made his way to the doorway, most likely heading to his room. But before he left, Melvin made one last glance back.

"If I am too calm to be innocent, then you must be too smart to be innocent as well. After all, wouldn't this be the perfect setup to lure attention off you?"

Bakura clutched his fists, his body tensing up, and his glare becoming dangerous. However, he did not say anything in reply. Melvin smirked at his response, and then calmly walked out.

* * *

Early the next morning, Mana was the first one up. She put one hand over her stomach, acting like she was extremely hunger. She quietly left her bedroom, closing it gently behind her. There was no one out in the hallway, making her guess that everyone gave up on the 'night watch' idea. A rotting stench went passed her nose, though Mana couldn't identify what it was. Thinking it to be no big deal, as it could be the smell of Jonouchi and Kaiba's...corpses, she made her way to the kitchen.

The mansion was extremely quiet, dark, and peaceful, as the island slowly started to wake itself up. When she made her way to the dining room, she glanced over to the silver tray, seeing that two new duel monsters were gone since she last took notice of it. The Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the Winged Dragon of Ra. Three figures were now missing, broken off and now nowhere in sight.

Mana quickly made her way to the kitchen and almost jumped to see that Atem was already in there. His eyes widened at the sight of her at first, but then he slowly began to relax.

"Mana," he said with small relief. "Sorry if I scared you."

Mana smiled slightly.

"That's alright... I was just a little hungry. Hope I'm not disturbing you."

Atem smiled back.

"You're fine. In fact...I'm kind of happy that it is you, of all people."

Mana blinked, looking surprised as she opened the fridge.

"Why do you say that?"

She took out a large red apple and walked over to the sink to wash it.

"Well...after what happened between Melvin and Bakura, I am a little on the edge," Atem admitted. "The fact we were all accused of being killers, the fact that Jonouchi is dead and Melvin had good reason to kill him..."

He sighed.

"I can't help but be a little cautious of the others. Except towards Yugi, who is my brother and I know he wouldn't do anything like this. And you...for you don't seem like the murderous type."

Mana blushed, taking a large quick bite out her apple.

"I...thank you," she said, swallowing. "And...I don't know what to say..."

She walked up to Atem.

"...Though I think similarly. You and Yugi seem such good people, even for the celebrities that you are."

Atem laughed.

"Did you think we were snobs like Kaiba?"

Mana's blush grew brighter.

"I...well, I didn't know what to expect. But I'm...glad you are not."

There was a short silence, Mana taking the time to finish her apple while Atem made his way to the fridge again. But before he could open it, Mai quickly came rushing in.

"Oh thank God you guys are okay!" she exclaimed. "When we couldn't find you two, we were worried that he got to you too!"

Mana froze and Atem tensed up.

"Who could have gotten us? What happened?"

Mai took in a deep breath of air.

"Marik woke up and went to check up on Melvin a few minutes ago, with a strong stench coming from his room," she explained. "When he wouldn't answer, Marik went inside and saw that Melvin was dead!"


	6. Six Duelists

_April 20th, 2014_

_Mansion, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_7:15 A.M._

_Surviving Duelists_

_Atem_

_Yugi_

_Valon_

_Mana_

_Bakura_

_Marik_

_Mai_

Running as fast as they could, Atem, Mana, and Mai rushed up the stairs and headed towards Melvin's bedroom. In the hallway, they could see the others were gathered outside Melvin's room. Marik sat against the wall, his face buried in his knees as he fought off the grief of his brother's death. His hands were covered with blood, Yugi sitting beside him trying to comfort him while Valon, his face as white as a ghost's, and Bakura stood. Bakura saw the others come from the corner of his eye.

"Finally, you're back."

He looked at Atem and Mana.

"Good to see you two are alright. I feared the worse when Marik reported Melvin dead."

"How did this happen?" Atem asked, alarmed. "How could have Owen come into the mansion without any of us hearing?"

"And I thought the mansion was safe!" Mana exclaimed. "We searched and he was _nowhere_ to be found! And before we all went to bed, we locked _all_ the doors!"

"Apparently it wasn't enough," Bakura replied, his voice flat.

"Then _what_ will be enough?"

Everyone turned to Marik, who slowly lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, a few tears running down his cheeks.

"We searched the entire house, no one was here. We locked the house up, even from the inside. It shouldn't have been possible for an outsider to get in..."

"Marik..."

Yugi put his hand on Marik's shoulder, in a vain attempted to give him some comfort. But Marik shook him away, standing up and wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I am now convinced of two things," he said, his voice cracking just a slight. "That one of us is either an agent of Owen and was hired to kill us all, or that one of us _is_ Owen, pretending to be one of us to make his killing spree easier."

Everyone tensed up, their eyes moving from one another.

"Deep down, we all knew it was impossible from someone to be stalking us from the shadows," Marik continued. "Logically, it can't be done, for even though this house is huge, we would have come across some kind of hint of another person's presence. And with how all of the murders have been committed..."

There was a long silence, as all the duelists going into account all the murders that have happened. Kaiba, killed in the middle of the night, where anyone of them could have been out and about to commit it. Same with Melvin.

"...No, that isn't true," Mana said. "We were all together when Jonouchi was killed! And though Yugi went away for a short amount of time, there was no way he could have done the damage that Jonouchi had."

"Yes Jonouchi is the only one who does not fit my theory," Marik replied. "At least from what I've said so far..."

He met everyone's gaze.

"Melvin was the only one not present when Jonouchi's death was confirmed. Did he do it? I have no doubt, for my brother was always violent and had anger issues. But I think that is what Owen, or his assistant, wanted."

"Are you saying that Owen planned for Melvin to kill Jonouchi the way he did?" Bakura questioned. "That is ridiculous!"

Marik narrowed his eyes at Bakura.

"Is it? Owen had previous information on us before we came here. He must have known of my brother's dark temper. Owen, being the professional mastermind that he is, planned for Melvin to slay one of us, so that we would all put our attention towards him while 'Owen' killed the rest of us. Leaving the blame on Melvin. However...something went wrong that he could not foresee."

He paused.

"Melvin is a lot smarter than people take him for, as he can get into almost any person's mindset. And after he killed Jonouchi out of blind rage, he must have realized Owen's plan. He must have figured out who, or possibly who, was Owen or Owen's assistant. And that's why I found him covered in blood today...because he had figured out too much."

Marik approached Bakura, his violet eyes glaring into Bakura's brown ones.

"You were the one Melvin was pressing before he ended up dead, Bakura," Marik said in a low voice. "Is it not a little suspicious that he is now dead after accusing you of breaking us up?"

Bakura's eyes widened.

" _What_?!"

He backed away from Marik, a wild look in his eyes.

"My morals may be a little twisted, but not enough to create a mindless massacre!" Bakura shouted. "I'm a thief, not a murderer!"

"And yet thieves can easily cross the line," Marik replied coldly. "In a way, a murderer is like a thief. Only, they steal someone's life instead of someone's valuables."

"That is bullshit!"

Bakura's body started to shake.

"How dare you judge me like this! You have no right!"

"And yet the proof is still hanging in the air..."

Bakura backed away, his hands twitching like he wanted to reach for a knife.

"...Guys, we've got to stop," Yugi said softly. " _This_ is what Owen wants, whether one of us or not! The more we fight among ourselves, the more we-"

" _Shut up, runt_!"

Bakura glared at each one of them.

"Blame me if you want, but know that you are all fools for doing so!"

He then turned around and ran off, rushing into his bedroom and shutting himself inside. There was a short silence.

"...Was that the right thing to do?" Atem asked. "Marik, don't you think accusing him like that would only make things worse?"

Marik shook his head.

"He is the murderer, I know it. It _has_ to be him. And as long we stay away from him, we are safe."

* * *

Since this morning, Bakura had yet to show himself again to the other surviving duelists, and in response, Marik, Atem, Yugi, Mana, Valon, and Mai all kept their distance from Bakura's room.

Was he truly the guilty one? It seemed to add up, with his dark past and hostile reaction to being accused. Though some of the duelists were convinced, others were not as sure. If killing Melvin meant becoming a prime suspect, then why would Bakura foolishly murder him? They were being played at, and it could easily be by Marik as Bakura.

The way of trust was on a thin, fragile, barely hanging string. Putting your trust in someone was either going to save you or kill you.

And Valon was one of those duelists who was willing to risk it.

Walking down the hallway, Valon stopped at a door that lead to one of the bedrooms. He knocked.

"Mai, are you in there? It's me, Valon."

It took a few seconds for Mai to come and open the door, but only just a crack.

"Yes?" she asked.

Valon smiled.

"Don't need to be cautious. I'm not Bakura or anyone willing to hurt you."

Mai narrowed her eyes, Valon giving her a sympathetic look.

"I can see that I'm not the only one who thinks Bakura may be innocent."

He paused for a moment.

"I want to talk to you about a possible alliance. It may be the only way the two of us get out alive if there was one of us that we can count on."

"And how do you know that I am trustworthy? Or that I should trust you?"

Mai's words were like ice. Valon chuckled softly.

"I understand your suspicion, but think about it. Would I really kill you if I've flirted with you all this time? If I wanted you dead, why waste my time getting you to like me? And besides..."

His gaze grew solemn.

"You are the only one who doesn't seem to be hiding something. Marik, Bakura, the others...there is just something _off_ about them. With their personalities, don't you think they seem a little strange to be in a situation like this?"

There was a long silence, Mai's eyes never leaving Valon's. Slowly, she opened the door all the way. Silently, Valon went inside, Mai closing the door and locking it behind him.

"...So, what do you propose we do?" she asked, crossing her arms and turning to face him. "Even in this alliance, the only way we can be safe is if we find a way off the island."

Valon nodded.

"My thoughts exactly. And that's why we need to find a way off."

He sat on Mai's bed. Mai in response sat on the floor, leaning her back against the door, to where she and Valon were sitting straight across from each other.

"After we are all dead, Owen or whoever must have a boat for him to escape," Valon continued. "What we need to do is find it before it is too late and have a clean escape before anyone can notice."

Mai blinked.

"Then we would have to search the island together. But the moment we start doing that the others will suspect something."

"I have thought about that...and I came up with this idea. Either you or I bring this idea up the next meeting all of us have, and have the two of us try to find the boat for all of us to escape."

"Only when we find it, it will only be the two of us," Mai finished.

Valon smirked.

"Exactly. Or anyone else we find out to be worthy to trust."

There was a long silence.

"...Alright," Main finally said. "But let's wait before we set out. I..."

Her eyes grew dark.

"...don't want to leave anyone innocent here to die. And I don't want Owen to get away with this."

"He won't," Valon replied with a gentle smile. "Once we return to civilization, we will report it and make sure he gets convicted. For Kaiba, Jonouchi, Melvin, and everyone else that has died or suffered by Owen's hand."

Mai smiled slightly in reply.

Suddenly, a loud spark could be heard from outside the room, the whole mansion turning pitch black.

* * *

Loud screams echoed throughout the mansion as Bakura opened his eyes from his sleep. Everything was pitched dark, only a faint light coming from his bedroom window.

Owen had struck again!

Knowing that Owen could be coming for any of them, Bakura quickly left his room and started to make his way down the hallway.

"What happened, why are the lights turned off?!" Bakura heard Marik exclaimed from downstairs, sounding out of breath.

"I don't know," Atem's voice replied. "It looks like the generator just blew out or something."

"Where is your brother and the others?"

Bakura moved slowly in the darkness, crawling on the floor as he felt his way to the stairs.

"Yugi I know is in our room," Atem answered, his voice now sounding closer. "Last time I saw Mana she was in the library, same with Valon. I don't know where Mai is though..."

"If your brother has any sense, he will stay in his room," Marik said. "Bakura will be nowhere upstairs. We need to find Mana and Valon and hope they are still in the library. We'll then search for Mai and hope to God Bakura doesn't catch her."

They then ran off down one of the hallways.

Bakura clutched his fists, but continued to silently make his way to the first floor. Once he felt the stairway end, he ran towards the direction he knew the kitchen was. He then felt the doorway to the dining room, eventually finding his way to the kitchen. He went inside, using his sense of touch to find a knife. His heart pounded in his chest, searching from drawer to drawer frantically, hoping to find something. Finally, after searching through the seemingly endless drawers, he felt his finger get stabbed by the tip of a sharp knife. Bakura smiled, quickly grabbing the blade.

But then he felt someone put their arm around his waist, putting something sharp against his throat. Bakura's eyes widened, feeling someone's soft breath against his neck.

"...Say goodbye, thief."

With a swift, fast cut, Bakura's throat was slit opened.


	7. The Turning Point

_April 20th, 2014_

_Mansion, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_9:45 P.M_

_Surviving Duelists_

_Atem_

_Yugi_

_Valon_

_Mana_

_Marik_

_Mai_

"Mana, are you here?!" Atem exclaimed as he entered the pitched black library. " _Mana_!"

"Atem!"

At the sound of Mana's voice, Atem walked further into the room.

"Mana, follow my voice," he said, trying to sound calm. "Say something so I can find you."

Following each others' voices, the two were eventually able to find each other. Mana took a tight grip to Atem's hand.

"I'm glad you are safe," she said with relief. "When the lights turned off, I was afraid something might have happened."

Atem smiled in the darkness.

"I'm fine, and I'm glad you are too."

He squeezed her hand.

"Have you seen the others? Marik and I met in the entry hall and are trying to locate everyone."

"No, I'm all by myself," Mana answered. "Valon left a few minutes before the power outage, and I haven't seen Mai or Yugi since dinner. And Bakura..."

"Atem, have you found anyone?"

At the sound of Marik's voice, Atem walked towards his voice, leading Mana with him.

"I'm with Mana now," Atem answered. "We haven't seen the others yet."

Marik cursed.

"Damn, and I can't find Valon or Mai anywhere..."

"Is anyone down here?!"

Valon's voice echoed throughout the mansion.

"We're here!"

Marik, Atem, and Mana quickly made their way to the entry hall where Valon's voice came from. When they got there, Marik exclaimed, "Is anyone with you, Valon? Atem and Mana are with me."

"It is just me, Mai, and Yugi," Valon replied, he, Mai, and Yugi coming down the stairs. "Do you know where Bakura is?"

"No idea," Marik answered. "He could be anywhere. We need to bring the power back on and fast."

"Does anyone know where the power is kept in this house?" Mai asked.

"I think I saw the door to the basement in the kitchen," Mana answered. "It is most likely there."

"Then let's go together. Be on your guard."

With Marik in the lead, the six duelists all made their way to the kitchen. There was a strong stench, but none of them paid attention to it at the moment. Feeling the walls, they eventually found the door that led the basement.

"Mai, Mana, Yugi," Marik ordered, "you three stay up here in case Bakura tries to attack us from behind. Valon, Atem, cover me while I try to fix the power."

No one questioned his orders, he, Atem, and Valon quickly going down the stairs to the basement. Once down there, Marik felt around for the power box, which was easy for him to find since the basement was small.

"...Looks like Bakura just flipped the power off."

Flipping a switch, the power quickly returned to the entire mansion. "I guess Owen didn't want to be in complete darkness either," Valon said. "It would inconvenience him as it would us."

"Though I find it strange that Bakura would just flip the switch like that," Marik commented. "He is a thief, wouldn't he work better in the-"

" _Oh my God_!"

He was cut off by a loud scream. Quickly responding, Atem, Marik, and Valon ran up the stairs. Once back in the kitchen, their eyes widen to the horror of a bloody Bakura lying dead on the cold kitchen floor.

"Oh God, Bakura..."

Mana shivered.

"...H-how?"

Marik fell to his knees, his eyes wide with shock.

"How can Bakura be dead?" he questioned. "He _had_ to be the killer! This...this doesn't make any sense!"

"Nothing on this island makes any sense," Mai replied, her voice dark. "This island is nothing but insanity."

"So who murdered Bakura then?" Atem questioned. "A ghost, an invisible man?"

No one answered him.

"...We should put his body in his room," Valon finally said after a long silence. "Atem, would you help me?"

Atem nodded silent, he and Valon walking over towards the body. But before they could pick Bakura up, Yugi came into the kitchen.

"Guys," he cried, his face extremely pale. "I have a letter from Owen!"

Everyone froze. Forgetting Bakura's body for the moment, they all rushed towards Yugi.

"Where did you find it?" Marik asked.

"On the dining room table, next to the silver tray," Yugi answered. "I was looking around to see if I could find a clue where Owen went, but I noticed this instead."

"Let me see it."

Taking the note from his hands, Marik walked off toward the dining room and began to read it silently to himself. The others followed, their eyes staring intensely at Marik.

"Well...?" Mai said anxiously. "What does it say?"

Marik's face glowed with fear, pacing back and forth with the note in his hands.

"...Things have gotten much worse..."

He cleared his throat and began to read the note.

"'Dear my remaining guests. Congratulations on making it this far in your trial. You remaining six have proven your strong will to survive, and I applaud you for that. But how much longer can you survive? Be on your guard, for I am watching every move you make. You will all die...unless of course you find a way off the island. Enjoy your last few moments in life. From, U. N. Owen.'"

There was a long silence.

"Owen is obviously bating us," Atem finally said. "The moment we all split up and leave the mansion, we are doomed."

"And the longer we stay here, we all become closer to our deaths," Valon countered. "The only way we can get out of here alive is to escape. I say we take a chance and hunt for a boat or something."

"I agree," Mai said. "We've had more deaths in this mansion then outside it. We are fools to stay here."

"But Owen _wants_ us to leave!" Mana exclaimed. "From the way he wrote it..."

She shook her head.

"It is just too risky."

"Staying or leaving, it's risky either way," Yugi said. "No matter what we do, Owen has the advantage."

"Then let's _do_ something about it!" Mai replied. "We're sitting ducks if we don't. The best thing to do is to either hunt down Owen ourselves or to leave this place."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Atem challenged. "Mai, not that I don't agree with you, but this is too dangerous of a situation to do something reckless."

Valon raised an eyebrow.

"And doing _nothing_ is a better idea?"

The arguing continued, growing more intense as Mai and Valon pushed the fact the needed to act while Atem and Mana argued that acting on blind action would be suicide. Yugi made the neutral comment every once and awhile to calm them down, but it finally took Marik to cease the never ending bickering.

" _Enough_!" he shouted, loud enough for all of them to hear. "From the way you all sound, you are only going to amuse Owen further!"

Everyone turned their attention towards Marik. Marik sighed heavily.

"Before we do anything, we need to come up with some sort of plan. Let's all get some rest and in the morning we will decide what to do."

Valon narrowed his eyes.

"And who put you in charge?"

Marik glared at him.

"Listen to me if you want, but I'm just trying to make sure we all survive. Owen killed my brother, and God knows how many other people. I'm not going to fall to his games so easily."

"Really?" Valon questioned. "If that's the case, then why were you so quick to accuse Bakura like that? You didn't think that one through, you did what Owen _wanted_ you to do."

It took awhile for Marik to reply.

"...I was in grief, I was not thinking straight," he finally answered. "Seeing Bakura dead made me realize I was being played."

He looked at everyone in the eye.

"Nothing is what it seems on this island, in this mansion. Kaiba died because he didn't believe in Owen's threat. Jonouchi was slain because he foolishly went after Owen in the forest. Melvin was killed because he learned too much and Bakura was murdered for, from what it looks like, trying to go off on his own. They all died because of reckless, underestimated decisions. And the next person who does the next foolish thing is going to die as well."


	8. Five, Four

_April 21th, 2014_

_Mansion, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_5:00 A.M_

_Surviving Duelists_

_Atem_

_Yugi_

_Valon_

_Mana_

_Marik_

_Mai_

As a dark shadow cast itself over his face, Valon waited in the dark corridors of the entry hall, his suitcase at his side. Soon enough, he saw a figure quietly come down the stairs, dragging something down with them.

"Is that everything, Mai?" Valon asked.

Mai approached him.

"Yes, all my things are packed. Did you take some of the knives from the kitchen?"

Valon nodded.

"Two for each of us. If Owen tries to pull anything while we are out, we will be ready. Are the others still asleep?"

"All crowded on the floor of the living room, just like they were when we got up."

Mai paused for a moment.

"...Let's go, before they wake up and try to stop us."

Opening the door, Valon and Mai grabbed their things and left the mansion. Heading towards the garage, they put their things in one of the cars, still parked from when they first arrived on the island. Once in the car, Valon started it, slowly back it up and driving away from the mansion.

"So, where do we attend to start looking for a boat?" Mai asked. "We didn't see any at the docks when we first arrived."

"When we first arrived, there weren't any," Valon replied, his eyes scanning the road carefully. "None of us has been down by the docks in days. Owen could have moved a hidden boat right there or something. And if not, we can always walk around the beach until we find something."

Mai sighed.

"We really don't have many options. I hope Owen isn't at least crazy enough to strand himself on the island as well."

Within moments, they arrived back at the docks, looking as disserted and lifeless. The sand on the beach surrounding the dock and outward had no footprints of any kind, clean and smooth as a sheet of fresh paper. Getting out of the car, Valon headed towards the dock to scan the area while Mai stayed in the car to keep watch for movement.

"Well...there is nothing here," Valon announced once he got a good look around. "Want to try to see if the car can drive in the sand?"

"Worth a shot," Mai said. "I rather not drag these suitcases for long miles on foot."

Valon laughed as he got back into the car.

"I'm with you on that one. God knows how big this island is..."

With that said, he gently got the car off the man made road. Valon grunted as the car's tires had a tough time driving through the thick sand, but it was able to manage at a slow pace.

"Let me know if you see anything interesting," Valon said. "It is taking all I got just to drive forward..."

Mai nodded. "Got it."

She sat up a little in her seat, her eyes moving from area to area of the island. Neither Mai or Valon spoke, both duelists keeping their full attention on their own task, having anxiety flow through them. Were they foolishly falling into Owen's trap, were Atem and Mana right when they said it was bad to leave the mansion? Had Owen murdered them in their sleep, while Valon and Mai just barely escaped with their lives? Questions flashed in their mind at a lightning like pace, as they passed by the same scenery over and over again. Suddenly, in the distance, Mai caught the sight of another dock over brightening horizon.

"Valon, do you see that dock there?" she exclaimed. "I think I see a boat there too!"

Valon picked up speed. Sure enough, the closer they got to the dock, they could see a small private yacht. Valon parked the car next to the dock, which was next to an old wooden boathouse.

"I...I can't believe it!" he cried. "Right here, in the open, a working boat!"

"Either Owen didn't think any of us would come this far," Mai observed, her eyes dark, "or this is a trap, and Owen is here, ready to ambush us."

"Either way, we have found a way off this cursed island!"

Reaching towards the back to where his bag was, Valon got out four knives, handing two of them to Mai.

"Let's prove to Owen that we are a lot smarter than he believes us to be."

The two of them got out of the car and headed towards the yacht. It seemed to be a new boat, very clean and well kept, despite its isolation. Going to where the controls to the yacht were, Mai the gas monitor.

"Valon, we've got a problem," she said, reading it carefully. "There is no fuel in the gas tank."

Valon walked up to her.

"Crap," he cursed. "Maybe there is some gas inside the boathouse."

Mai narrowed her eyes.

"I don't like this. A boat without fuel, and it being a yacht, of all things, on a little old dock? It doesn't make any sense..."

Suddenly, a loud noise could be heard from outside. Both Valon and Mai froze, their eyes meeting.

"...Did you hear that?" Valon asked softly.

Mai nodded her head slowly.

There was a long silence, till a few minutes later, the sound was made again, only much louder.

"...It sounds like a door slamming," Mai said. "Coming from the boathouse door, maybe..."

She tightened her grip on her knives. Cautiously, Mai and Valon left the interior of the yacht, seeing nothing out of the ordinary outside. They glanced in the direction to the wooden boathouse, where the door was cracked slightly open.

"...Owen..."

Valon started to approach the door. Mai's eyes widened.

"Valon! What are you doing!?"

"Going after Owen," Valon answered, his voice icy cold. "He has trapped himself in the boathouse, two against one. This is our chance to kill him!"

"Kill him!?" Mai looked stun. "Valon, we can't kill him!"

She looked down at the sand.

"There are no footprints besides ours in the sand. Valon, something isn't right about this..."

Valon turned to face Mai.

"Mai, for once, we have the advantage! Owen is in that little boathouse, and I doubt there are any effective weapons in there for him to use. It's two against one, and this may be our only chance to get him, while also getting fuel for the yacht."

"And if it is that simple, why is he giving us his position so easily?!"

The two argued back and forth, and while their attention was not focused on the boathouse, the door to it opened wider and wider. And soon, a figure stepped out of the shadows and into dawn's light.

With a chainsaw in their hands.

"I'm telling you that this is a bad idea," Mai was saying as the figure moved closer and closer to them. "Maybe the others were right, maybe we should have..."

She cut herself off as she noticed the figure behind Valon. Her face turned as white as a ghost, her violet eyes wide with horror.

"Y-you?! _Impossible_!"

Valon's eyes widened, but before he could move, the chainsaw sliced right through him, with demented laughter echoing through the air.

With his stomach twisting within him, Atem slowly opened his eyes. Here he was, laying on one of the living room's couches, a blanket there to barely cover him. He could see faint sunlight enter the room, a part of him feeling slightly relived that morning had finally come. Worrying about a killer during the day was nothing compared to worrying about a killer at night, where they have darkness to cover them and your senses are not as high on alert. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Atem leaned down from the couch and gently woke Yugi, who laid on the floor beside him.

"Yugi, it's morning," Atem said softly.

Yugi groaned, slowly turning to his side to look up at his brother.

"Finally... That was the worst night of my life."

Atem smiled slightly.

"You're not the only one who feels that way."

Both he and Yugi sat up, in which they saw that Marik and Mana were waking up, both sleeping on the two other couches.

"Looks like sleeping all together was a good idea," Mana said with slight optimism. "I didn't hear a single sound last night."

"Then staying in a large group was the best decision," Marik commented. "Owen knows he can't kill us all when we are working together."

Yugi looked around the room.

"Hey, where is Mai and Valon?"

Mana blinked.

"...I don't know. Perhaps they went to the bathroom or to the kitchen?"

"It was Valon's turn to keep watch, wasn't it?" Atem asked.

Marik nodded.

"Yes. However..."

He sighed.

"I hope they foolishly didn't go off on their own to find a way off the island. They were very persistent on the idea last night, after all."

There was a small pause.

"...Let's not get to conclusions too soon," Yugi said. "Like Mana said, they are probably somewhere else in the house. Why don't two of us look for them in the mansion while the other two gets some breakfast prepared."

"That's a good idea, Yugi," Atem replied. "I can help get some fruits together in the kitchen."

"And I'll help you out," Mana offered.

Atem smiled in reply.

"All right, now that is settled."

Marik stood up.

"Yugi and I will go around looking for them. If you see that they are in the kitchen, call us."

Mana nodded. "We will."

At that moment, Marik and Yugi left the room to go up the stairs while Atem and Mana made their way to the kitchen. Atem headed towards the refrigerator to get out the food while Mana took out some bowls to set them on the dining room table. She sat down six bowls on the table, and as she did, her eyes drifted towards the silver tray. Examining it, she noticed there were now only four figures left. The Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Revival Jam, and Kuriboh. Mana's heart skipped a beat.

"A-Atem..."

At the sound of his name, Atem quickly came out of the kitchen.

"Mana, what's wrong?"

"There are now only _four_ figurines on the tray." Mana's voice shook as she spoke. "We need to get Marik and Yugi in here _now_!"

"Mana, Atem!"

Marik and Yugi rushed into the room, their faces pale.

"We went into Mai and Valon's rooms and saw that their suitcases are gone," Marik said with heavy breaths of air. "They must have left in the middle of the night while we were all sleeping!"

Atem cursed.

"Damn, how can they be that stupid?! To go off just the two of them..."

There was a long silence. Mana clutched her fists.

"We can't just stand there and allow them to be hunted by Owen like this. We've...we've just got to do something!"

"Yeah, and it won't be long before Owen comes up with another way to drag us out," Yugi said. "We can't stay here."

Marik crossed his arms.

"And yet the wilderness can kill just as easily, and the moment we all leave this house Owen will have full control over the only shelter on the island."

"So what do you suggest that we do then?" Atem asked.

Marik sighed heavily.

"I'm not sure. It seems like no matter what we do, it will only lead to death. Every time we find a way to get ahead of the game, Owen comes up with a new trick to screw us over."

He paused.

"So I beg the question, is Mai and Valon worth trying to save, under the circumstances?"

There was an eerie silence.

"...I believe they are."

Everyone turned their attention to Atem.

"I'm tired of just sitting here and being helpless as we all die by this madman. Valon and Mai must have been prepared for Owen in case they came across him, and they will put up a good fight against him. It is time that Owen stops hunting us, and we start hunting him."

Going to the kitchen, Atem brought in four kitchen knives for each of them.

"I suggest that two of us go after Mai and Valon while the other two stay here to keep base. I know there are no cell phone towers here on the island, but we need to keep some kind of communication so that we can keep in touch in case something goes wrong. Once we find Valon and Mai, or when the sun starts to set, we will all meet up back at the mansion and then come up with a new plan from there."

"...Seems like we have little choice," Marik finally replied. "I don't like the idea of splitting up more, but it is the only way to look for them and keep the mansion under our partial control."

"Yeah," Mana said. "And as for communication, I saw that there was an old pair of walkie-talkies in my bedroom. We can use those."

Atem nodded.

"That would work."

"So, now that is decided," Marik cut in. "Who is going to stay and who is going out?"

"Since you and I are the two strongest physically," Atem answered. "We will need to be separated so that the defense on both side is even and protected."

Marik nodded.

"All right then. I volunteer to stay here at the mansion."

He then made eye contact with Mana and Yugi.

"I guess it is up to you two what you would rather do."

Both Mana and Yugi looked at each other.

"I'll stay here with Marik," Yugi said. "I would only slow my brother down if I go. It is best this way."

Atem gave a concerned look.

"Yugi...are you sure?"

Yugi nodded, a sad smile coming across his face.

"I am. I have a better chance in here then out there with my small size. I'll be careful, brother, as we all."

The four of them looked at each other in the eye. Even though neither of them knew how things would turn out, they knew deep down that the end was almost here.


	9. Owen

_April 21th, 2014_

_Road, Mr. Owen's Private Island_

_7:45 A.M_

_Surviving Duelists_

_Atem_

_Yugi_

_Mana_

_Marik_

After testing the walkie-talkies to make sure they worked, Atem and Mana took the other car and left the mansion towards the docks, where they suspected Valon and Mai to go first. Atem did the driving while Mana kept in touch with Marik and Yugi. Besides the walkie-talkies, they both were armed with a freshly sharpened knife, to where one clean cut would leave a very bloody trail.

"...Atem," Mana finally said, a little uneasiness to her voice. "Do you have any idea who Owen could be?"

Atem blinked.

"What do you mean?"

It took awhile for Mana to reply.

"I've...just been thinking. Do you remember when Marik said that it was impossible for Owen to be someone besides ourselves?"

"...Yes."

Atem gave a concerned look.

"I have thought about it, and when I do, it doesn't make sense. Including Mai and Valon, all of us has at least one alibi for every other murder. It seems impossible for any of us to commit _all_ of the them."

"Perhaps...unless if they are one of two things."

Mana's eyes darkened.

"Either someone faked their death so that they could work in the shadows and not worry about an alibi, or there are two people doing the killings."

There was a long silence, as Atem parked the car at the docks.

"...And which do you think is most likely the case?" he asked.

Mana shook her head.

"I have no idea. I just know that whoever is doing this is a twisted, ruthless, cold hearted person."

Her green gaze hardened.

"And that they need to be stopped, no matter what."

Atem nodded.

"Then we will make sure to end this today. Either Owen dies or we die."

He looked around the area.

"However...I don't see any sign of Mai or Valon here. Where would they go from here?"

"Maybe they circled the beach?" Mana suggested.

She glanced over towards the side to see a pair of tire tracks in the sand. She gasped.

"Atem, they went this way!"

Atem glanced over at the direction Mana was pointing at.

"Let's see if I can get this thing to drive in the sand..."

He then slowly drove the car off the road, and like Valon earlier, he had a hard time keeping control. They followed the tire tracks, and as they did, Mana updated the others over their situation.

_"That's good to hear that you found something,"_ Yugi said over the walkie-talkie. _"Everything is quiet over here. No signs of Owen anywhere."_

"I'm relieved to hear," Mana replied with a small smile. "You and Marik keep safe, alright?"

_"As long as you two do the same. Be careful you two."_

Yugi then hung up. Mana put the walkie-talkie back in her pocket, seeing the worried look on Atem's face.

"I'm sure your brother won't go down easily," she said, trying to sound comforting. "He is smart and can get himself out of trouble if need be."

"...I know," Atem replied. "Though I can't help but worry..."

He looked at Mana for a second.

"But I appreciate your comfort."

Mana smiled faintly in reply.

Eventually, they arrived at the second dock where Mai and Valon had parked their car. But once they arrived, Atem slammed hard on the breaks, his and Mana's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.

The yacht and the dock was stained with fresh blood, some of it dripping down into the ocean. There was no body, or bodies, but it was clearly obvious a savage massacre had taken place.

"...Valon...Mai..."

Mana's voice cracked. Atem could feel himself shake.

"...We got here too late. Owen must be long gone from now..."

He paused to keep himself together.

"Contact Marik and Yugi and tell them that they are dead, and that Owen is probably on his way to the mansion, if he is not already there. I...am going to make an attempt to see if I can find anything that remains of them..."

He got out of the car and headed towards the dock, while Mana made an attempt to contact Yugi and Marik.

"Yugi, are you there?" Mana said through the walkie-talkie.

_"I am,"_ Yugi answered. _"Did you guys find anything?"_

Mana took a deep breath of air.

"We found some tired tracks on the beach and followed them, only to find the car they took and...a dock covered in blood. We haven't seen any bodies, but Mai and Valon are most likely dead."

She could hear Yugi's breathing become heavier through the walkie-talkie.

_"...I just hope that their deaths were quick and they didn't feel too much pain. I'll tell Marik so that we'll-"_

He suddenly cut himself off, the sound of something heavy colliding with his head playing in the background. Mana tightened her grip onto the walkie-talkie.

"Yugi! Are you okay? What happened?!"

No answered came.

Mana could feel her heartbeat starting to accelerate.

" _Yugi_!"

She stood up in the car.

"Atem, Owen has made his attack on Yugi!" she cried. "We need to get back to the mansion, and fast!"

Atem ran out of the boathouse.

"Owen, that bastard!" he exclaimed. "It will take too long to use the car."

He ran towards Mana.

"While I was searching the boathouse, I found a poorly closed off secret passageway. It's a little door on the floor, and I believe it leads straight to the mansion."

Mana's eyes widened. "A secret passageway?"

Atem nodded.

"Owen must have used it to get from the mansion to here faster. And if this one exists...I can't imagine what other secrets are in that damn place."

Mana got out of the car.

"Then let's go through and hopefully get to Yugi before it is too late!"

Running as fast as they could, Atem and Mana headed inside the boathouse. There, an open trap door laid in the middle of the floor. Grabbing a nearby flashlight, Atem went in first, lighting the way down a tunnel while Mana followed.

They ran as fast as they could through the cold, straight, dark tunnel, seemingly not to care if any traps laid ahead. All they cared about was finding and confronting Owen, saving Yugi and avenging Kaiba, Jonouchi, Melvin, Bakura, Valon, and Mai. A closure to this mad game of murder.

After what seemed like forever, light came from the end of the tunnel. The door was wide open, and when Atem and Mana stepped out, they walked right into the library. There was a sinister feel to the mansion, a deep, stiff silence filling the air. Mana and Atem slowly walked further inside, side by side. They left the library, and in the hallway, they could see a shadow being casted from the entry hall. With fear and anger flowing through them, the two duelists put up the courage to enter the entry hall.

But no courage could prepare for what they saw.

In the middle of the entry hall, two bodies and a chainsaw laid. One was Yugi, who took a serious blow to the head as a wrench laid beside him. The other was...Melvin. He was laying face down, his whole body covered in blood with a knife stabbed into the middle of his back.

And standing above him was Marik, his right hand and arm stained with fresh blood as he ripped the knife from Melvin's back. Atem and Mana stared at him with horror.

"... _Marik_?"

At the sound of his name, Marik's eyes grew wide. He met Mana and Atem's gazes, the shock from his violet eyes being replace with icy calmness.

"...You are back earlier than I expected," Marik said softly. "I suppose I underestimated you to find the second dock as fast as you did."

He took the knife and started to clean off the blood with his shirt. Atem clutched his fists.

"You...it was you all along?!" he exclaimed, his voice shaking. " _You_ were Owen all along!?"

Marik gave a small, crooked smile.

"I am indeed U. N. Owen, the unknown mastermind behind this whole 'tournament' and trial."

"W-why?" Mana demanded. " _Why_ would do something like this?!"

"Because I'm trying to get rid the disgusting people in this world," Marik answered coldly. "To take out people who have gotten away with many sins and have yet to pay for them."

He examined the knife, making sure it was clean.

"I tire of seeing sickening people get away with murder, to see society do nothing about its corrupted members. So, I have taken the liberty of doing what most couldn't."

"So that makes you a hero or something?!"

Marik met Mana's gaze.

"No. I'm just as bad as you all, and I do not expect any pity for my sins. I'm just trying to prevent suffering, for you and your victims."

Atem shook with rage.

"Nothing you are saying makes any sense!" he cried. "Just what did my brother do to deserve this? What did Mana and I do to get hunted down like this? What did Kaiba, Jonouchi, Mai, Valon, and Bakura do to be killed by you!? And how..."

Overwhelming emotion flowed through his voice as he spoke.

"...And how could you murder _your own brother_?!"

"Melvin wasn't a brother."

Marik's voice grew flat, having an emotion that only a person who have suffered so much could have.

"The only thing that mattered to him was the thrill of feeling the suffering of others. He could not love, he was more like a person for me to contain rather than to love and bond with. He and I...could never feel a love that you and Yugi had."

His gaze hardened.

"Which made getting rid of him all the easier. Being the bloodthirsty maniac that he was, he naively helped me bring my plan into action."

He looked down at Melvin's corpse.

"Never did he think that his _weaker_ twin would attempt to kill him. Too intoxicated with the scent of blood to even see that he was being used."

He gave a small laugh.

"It is truly pathetic."

There was a small pause, a growing tension between the three remaining duelists.

"...And now it is time to end this little game, to put you down for the crimes you have committed."

Marik raised his knife.

"And now you join your fellow duelists!"

He threw the knife straight at Atem. Mana gasped, quickly pushing Atem out of the way. The knife stabbed her right arm, Mana yelping in pain as she and Atem fell to the ground. Grabbing another knife from his belt, Marik approached them.

"Mana!"

Atem quickly got up to his feet, his stare burning into Marik. He ran up to him, punching him straight in the face. Marik flinched back, but was able to recover quickly as he aimed his knife at Atem. Grazing his arm a little, Atem felt the sting of the blade. He backed away a good distance, enough to get him in front of Mana to protect her as she tried to get the knife out of her arm.

"It is no use trying to protect your girlfriend, Atem."

Marik lifted up his knife, a shadow falling across his face.

"Unless you are ready to kill me, you two are already dead. All three of us won't be leaving the room alive."

He threw the knife, Atem being able to doge it at the last second as he ducked.

"...Atem."

With her voice shaking with pain, Mana handed him the knife that had stabbed her. Atem took it, Mana covering her wound as she breathed heavily in pain.

"This doesn't have to end like this, Marik," Atem said. "Murder is not a solution to a problem, it only causes more."

He rushed towards him.

"You claim you want to get rid of the world of horrible people, and yet you have stooped as low to be one of those people!"

Atem clumsily tried to stab Marik, who effortlessly dogged.

"You wouldn't understand."

Getting behind him, Marik kicked Atem in the back. Atem dropped his knife, but as he tried to reach it, Marik kicked it towards the bodies, leaving Atem defenseless. Atem's eyes widened, in which Marik picked him up by his coat's collar and forced him up. He shoved him towards the wall, where he pinned Atem against the wall and held him tightly by his neck. His grip was very tight, causing Atem to choke as he fought back Marik's grip. Marik narrowed his eyes.

"You could never understand what could bring someone to the pits of despair and insanity like I have," he said, emotion cracking from his voice. "Like I said, within the right circumstances anyone can become a killer. And I've just happened to live under and seen those circumstances to the point where I can't take it anymore."

He tightened his grip.

"...I will make yours and Mana's deaths as painless as I can. May you-"

He was cut off as a knife was stabbed right through his chest, his heart. Atem and Mana's eyes widened, as Marik was being stabbed by Yugi.

Yugi was panting heavily, a little blood falling down from his head as his eyes were dull. Marik coughed up blood, letting go of his grip on Atem as he fell to the ground, bleeding to death. Atem stared in shock.

"Y-Yugi!"

Yugi met his brother's gaze.

"...A-At...em..."

His eyes then went to the back of his skull, collapsing to the ground.

" _Yugi_!"

Atem ran up to his brother and cradled him in his arms.

"Yugi, please wake up!" Atem cried, tears running down his cheeks. "Yugi, you can't die on me..."

He held him close. Mana, now having the strength to get up, slowly walked up to Atem.

"I'll see if I can get something for his head," she said, clutching onto her injured arm tightly. "We can then try to use that yacht to get to mainland or find a ship to get Yugi help."

Atem nodded his head slowly, his eyes never leaving Yugi, praying to God that his brother will survive.


	10. Three Survivors

_May 1st, 2014_

_Hospital, Domino City, Japan_

_1:00 P.M_

It has been a week since the tournament on U. N. Owen's private island. Atem, Mana, and Yugi all managed to escape, for as soon Yugi was stable enough to move, they got on board the yacht and sailed away from the island. Looking through the boathouse, Atem and Mana were able to find a supply of fuel, indicating that Marik had planned to leave the island when they were all dead.

Neither Mana or Atem knew how to drive the yacht, but attempted it the best they both could, taking turns from driving to taking care of Yugi, who was in a deep coma. Luckily, they did not have to drive the yacht for very long, for they soon came across a cruise ship and got help from them. Yugi was given immediate medical attention, as there was a doctor on board, and the cruise members promised to take Atem and Mana to Domino City as soon as possible.

Once back in Japan, Yugi was transported to a hospital. Mana and Atem waited anxiously to see if he would recover, both visiting his room daily. While also explaining to the police what happened on the island.

Now, Mana waited outside Yugi's hospital room as his doctor made his hourly check up on him. Every time she or Atem was called to leave the room so that the doctor and nurses could work, there was a strong tension in the air. Yugi could die any second, and Mana hoped to God that Marik would not have one more death on his hands.

Finally, after what felt like a century, the doctor and a nurse stepped out of the room.

"How is he?" Mana quickly asked, her eyes big with anxiety. "Is Yugi going to recover?"

The doctor made eye contact with her.

"Your friend has suffered a lot of trauma. From where he was hit on the head, he very lucky to have survived it at all. With a mix from stress, fear, and the wound itself, it may be a few more weeks before he wakes from his coma."

He gave a small smile.

"But he is a strong little guy. His heartbeat is strong and his breathing is steady. He may have a few memory problems, but I believe he will be fine."

Mana let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad to hear. I'll let Yugi's brother know as soon as I see him!"

The doctor nodded.

"Make sure you do. Have a good day, miss. You can go inside and see Yugi again if you wish."

He then walked away, the nurse close beside him. As he left, Mana spotted Atem coming out of the elevator and approaching her. He saw the doctor from the corner of his eye.

"That was Yugi's doctor, wasn't it?" Atem asked. "Did he just come to check up on Yugi?"

Mana nodded.

"Yes. And he came out with good news."

She took a hold of Atem's hands and smiled.

"He is going to make it! He may have a few memory problems, but the doctor says he will live!"

Atem's eyes lit up.

"I'm so relieved..."

His eyes tear up slightly as he smiled.

"I was so afraid that I would lose my one and only brother... I'm..."

His voice cracked. Mana gently wiped a tear from his cheek.

"I know. And now the three of us have survived. We can finally put the past behind us and move on!"

Atem's smile faded.

"No, we cannot move on. At least...not until everything from that cursed island is taken care of."

Gesturing towards the room, Atem and Mana went inside Yugi's room to talk privately.

"So is everything taken care of with the police?" Mana asked once they were alone. "What are they going to do with the island?"

Atem took a heavy breath of air.

"It took much effort, but I was finally able to convince them the truth, as they tracked Marik's records from buying the island and that yacht. They told me they would send a team of men to the island to recover the bodies and send them to their families, and if not, give them a proper burial. As for the island itself..."

He paused for a moment.

"...I personally asked them to burn down the mansion and everything man-made. I didn't...want that place to still stand after what happened. And I assume that you and Yugi would agree with me on that."

Mana nodded her head slowly, a solemn look in her gaze.

"Yes...I would have asked just the same. And I'm glad something is being done."

She put her hand over her right arm, a tight bandage covering where she was stabbed.

"I don't know if you were able to find out, but..."

She hesitated her question.

"...Were you able to learn anything about Marik?"

"...I did look into Marik's history," Atem answered. "Apparently, he was telling the truth when he said that he and his siblings were abused by their father, who was an Egyptian cultist. Marik's adoptive brother and sister, Rishid and Ishizu Ishtar, live in Egypt and are historians of some sort. From what I could find, I learned about five years ago, Marik's father was found mysteriously murdered. It was also stated that Marik was the only one with him at home at the time, and found covered in blood. However, he was so shaken by the incident he was never charged with murder, that and only being a child."

Mana's eyes darkened.

"...That must have been where Marik snapped."

She was silent for a moment.

"...I know I should hate him for what he had done. But I just can't help but feel sorry for him. I feel...that something could have been done to prevent this. That he could have been helped if he just didn't keep it all in."

Atem said nothing in reply.

"Whatever happened, it didn't excuse him for what he did."

_"You could never understand what could bring someone to the pits of despair and insanity like I have."_

Marik's words echoed in his ears.

_"Like I said, within the right circumstances anyone can become a killer. And I've just happened to live under and seen those circumstances to the point where I can't take it anymore."_

Atem turned to where Yugi laid in his hospital bed, looking as if he was in a peaceful abyss.

"...But it is a tragedy that maybe people can remember from and prevent from ever happening again," he said softly, "and show that murder is never the answer."


End file.
